Improvement in cotton-choppers



R. L. LEE. Cotton-Chopper.

No. 218,387. Patented Aug 12, 1879.

f fglwww,

".FEI'EBS. fillOTO-UTHDGHAFHER; WASHINGTON. D, C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD L. LEE, OF PLATTSBURG, MISSISSIPPI.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-CHOPPERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 218,387, dated August12, 1879; application filed June 19, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD L. LEE, of Plattsburg, in the county ofWinston and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cotton- Ohoppers; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make anduse it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which formpart of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in cotton-choppers; and itconsists in the arrangement and combination of parts, that will be morefully described hereinafter, whereby a simple and efl'ective machine isproduced, and one in which the parts are made yielding, so that there isno danger of breakage.

Figure 1 is a plan View of my chopper. Fig.

2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is an end view, and Fig. 4 an enlargeddetail view.

. (1 represents a suitable frame; 0, the axle, having the driving-wheelsrigidly secured thereto; and d, two scrapers or plows, which run on bothsides of the rows of plants and clean away the weeds.

To one end of the axle, outside of and forming a part of thedriving-wheel, is secured the gear-wheel e, which meshes with and drivesthe pinion g on the front end of the shaft f. This shaft extends backthrough the frame a, and has a crank or a wheel, h, provided with awrist-pin on its rear end, and to which crank or wrist-pin there isfastened the crank i by means of the connecting-rod Z. This cranki is onthe rear end of the shaft 0, which is journaled in the center of theframe a, and which shaft does not revolve entirely around, but simplyrocks from side to side. Rigidly fastened to this shaft is the arm n,and from opposite sides of this arm project the prongs 0, which havetheir lower ends united together by the curved rod q.

Pivoted upon the shaft 0, between the lower split ends of the arm n, isthe standard 7',

which has a hole made in its upper end for the curved rod q to passthrough. Over this curved rod, on each side of the standardfls passed aspiral spring, which is sufiiciently stiff to hold the standard to itswork, and yet allow it to give in case it should strike an unyieldingobstruction, and thus prevent the hoes or standard from being injured orthe working of the machine stopped.

Near the center of the standard is made a joint, 8, so that the lowerend of the standard can swing backward in the line of travel in case thehoe should catch behind an obstruction as the machine is being drawnforward.

The lower part of the standard is held in line with the upper part bymeans of a suitable spring, t, which allows the lower part togive'sufficiently to prevent breakage or the stopping of the team.

To the lower end of the standard are fastened both a hoe having a fullstraight edge and one having the center of its edge removed, as shown.The full edged one is used for chopping out the cotton, while the hoehaving the center of its edge removed is used for stirring up theground, and chopping sugar-cane and some of the small grains whendrilled. These two hoes make a zigzag cut as the machine is drawn along,leaving a plant or plants in between each cut.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim- In a cotton-chopper, therocking shaft 0' and its operating mechanism, in combination with thearm 'n, prongs 0, provided with springs, the standard 1*, jointed at itsupper end and provided with the joint 8, and spring t, substantially asshown.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this6th day of June, 1879.

RICHARD LEROY LEE.

Witnesses:

JAMES D. LEE, W. J. GINTRY.

